Single station covering and fastening system

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for forming a cover about an article and for automatically fastening the cover to the article, and optionally for automatically placing a label on the covered article. The article may be an article such as a potted plant and the cover may be a decorative cover. The invention satisfies the need for a means for rapidly covering and fastening the cover about an article with a minimal amount of manual effort and in a location having a limited amount of available space. The apparatus comprises a platform having at least one opening sized to receive the article. The apparatus comprises a tying device for automatically applying a band or fastener about a portion of the outer surface of the covered article for fastening the cover about the article after the sheet is formed into a cover about the article.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 08/796,099, filedFeb. 5, 1997, entitled "SINGLE STATION COVERING AND FASTENING SYSTEM,now U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,656; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.08/462,342, filed Jun. 5, 1995, entitled "SINGLE STATION COVERING ANDFASTENING SYSTEM", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,502; which is a continuationof U.S. Ser. No. 08/252,876, filed Jun. 2, 1994, entitled "SINGLESTATION COVERING AND FASTENING SYSTEM", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,009;which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 08/088,692, filed Jun.2, 1994, entitled "ROTARY COVERING AND FASTENING SYSTEM", now U.S. Pat.No. 5,481,850; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No.07/819,311, filed Jan. 9, 1992, entitled "MEANS FOR SECURING ADECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT", now abandoned; which is acontinuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/765,416 filed Sep. 26, 1991, entitled"MEANS FOR SECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT", nowabandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/530,491 filed May29, 1990, entitled "MEANS FOR SECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWERPOT", now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.07/315,169, filed Feb. 24, 1989, entitled "MEANS FOR SECURING ADECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT", now abandoned.

Said application U.S. Ser. No. 08/252,876 is also a continuation-in-partof U.S. Ser. No. 08/088,976 filed Jul. 8, 1993, entitled "CONVEYABLECOVER FORMER AND FASTENING SYSTEM", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,707.

Said application U.S. Ser. No. 08/252,876 is also a continuation-in-partof U.S. Ser. No. 07/979,389 filed Nov. 19, 1992, entitled "MEANS FORSECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT", now abandoned; which isa continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/832,096 filed Feb. 6, 1992, entitled"MEANS FOR SECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT", nowabandoned; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 08/765,416filed Sep. 26, 1991, entitled "MEANS FOR SECURING A DECORATIVE COVERABOUT A FLOWER POT", now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser.No. 07/530,491 filed May 29, 1990, entitled "MEANS FOR SECURING ADECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT", now abandoned; which is acontinuation of U.S. Ser. No. 07/315,169, filed Feb. 24, 1989, entitled"MEANS FOR SECURING A DECORATIVE COVER ABOUT A FLOWER POT", nowabandoned.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for placing acover about an article, automatically applying a fastener about thecovered article and removing the covered article at a single station,and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to such-apparatusand methods wherein the article is a potted plant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first sheet of material with one end turnedup and constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a second sheet of material with one end turnedup and constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the first and the second sheets ofmaterial disposed adjacent each other.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing bonding areas on the surface of afirst sheet or a second sheet which cause bonding of the second sheetand the first sheet.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a modified first and second sheets ofmaterial.

FIG. 6 is another cross-sectional view of a modified first sheet ofmaterial connected to a modified second sheet of material.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of still another modified first sheetof material connected to a modified second sheet of material.

FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view of yet another modified firstsheet of material connected to a modified second sheet of material.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of sheets of material,constructed in accordance with the present invention forming acontinuous roll, the roll partially unrolled to reveal a single sheetstill attached thereto.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of sheets of materialforming a continuous roll of material disposed in a dispenser.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view showing a roll of material wherein theroll of material comprises a first and a second sheet of materialconstructed in accordance with the present invention disposed in adispenser (diagrammatically shown in FIG. 11) for dispensing the firstand the second sheets of material from the roll of material.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic view of a roll of material for dispensing afirst and a second sheet of material constructed in accordance with thepresent invention from the roll of material.

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of a pad of first and second sheetsof material constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a sheet ofmaterial of the present invention, and a pot disposed upon the sheet.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the sheet of material of FIG. 14,showing a sheet of material partially wrapped about a flower pot.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the sheet of material wrapped about aflower pot.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a pre-formed decorative pot cover.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a potted plant wrapped by a sheet ofmaterial to form a covered potted plant.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a sheet of material with a sheet extensionconnected thereto constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view of a flower pot having a floralgrouping disposed therein.

FIG. 21 is a partial perspective view of the sheet of material formedinto a pot cover with the sheet extension connected thereto.

FIG. 22 is a partial perspective view showing the flower pot of FIG. 20disposed in the pot cover of FIG. 21 with the sheet extension formedabout the floral grouping.

FIG. 23 is a plan view showing the upper surface of another sheet ofmaterial with a sheet extension connected thereto constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a sectional view showing the sheet of material of FIG. 23crimpingly formed about a flower pot and the sheet extension formedabout a floral grouping to provide a protective covering.

FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a portion of the sheet of materialcrimped to form an overlapping fold.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of one version of the present invention whichapplies a band or fastener below the support surface.

FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 26 as viewedfrom one angle.

FIG. 28 is a side, elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 26 asviewed from a second angle.

FIG. 29 is a plan view of another version of the present invention whichapplies a band or fastener above the upper support assembly.

FIG. 30 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 29 as viewedfrom one angle.

FIG. 31 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 30 as viewedfrom second angle.

FIG. 32 is a plan view of another version of the present invention usinganother fastener retraction system.

FIG. 33 is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 32.

FIG. 34 is a plan view of yet another method of fastener retraction.

FIG. 35 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 34 at a later operationphase.

FIG. 36 is an enlarged perspective view of the fastener retractionassembly of FIG. 34.

FIG. 37 is a side view of another version of the present invention inwhich the sheet is provided from a roll of material.

FIG. 38 is a plan view of another version of the present invention usinganother fastener retraction system.

FIG. 39 is a side view of the version of FIG. 38 shown in one stage ofoperation.

FIG. 40 is a side view of the version of FIG. 38 shown in a stage ofoperation subsequent to the stage shown in FIG. 39.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention comprises an apparatus for fastening a cover to anarticle, such as a potted plant.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises a platform having anupper support surface formed thereon and at least one opening extendingthrough the upper support surface. The upper support surface is adaptedto support at least one sheet of material in a cover forming positionover the opening. The opening is sized to accommodate a cover formingmold.

The apparatus further comprises a cover forming mold disposed below theopening in the support surface. The cover forming mold has contactingportions for contacting the sheet of material. The opening and the coverforming mold are adapted for receiving an article such as a flower pothaving an upper end, a lower end, an upper opening and an outerperipheral surface such that when the article is moved in apre-determined direction, such as downward, the lower end of the articleis caused to engage a portion of the sheet of material disposed over theopening. The article and portions of the sheet of material thus passinto the cover forming mold causing the sheet of material to engage theouter peripheral surface of the article and the contacting portions ofthe cover forming mold as the article is moved. As this happens,portions of the sheet contactingly engage or nearly engage the outerperipheral surface of the article forming a cover about the article andthereby forming a covered article. The cover of the covered article thenhas an inner surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the articleand an exposed outer surface adjacent the inner portion of the mold.

The apparatus further comprises a fastening device for automaticallyapplying a fastener about a portion of the outer surface of the coveredarticle. The fastening device comprises a fastener retraction assemblyfor grasping and retracting the fastener for clearing the fastener fromthe opening to allow clearance for insertion of a pot or article intothe opening. In an alternate version, the apparatus may comprise alabeling assembly for automatically applying a label to a portion of theouter surface of the cover of the covered article, preferably after thecover has been fastened to the article.

The sheet of material used in accordance with the present invention isconstructed from a material selected from a group of materials describedin greater detail below. The apparatus may further comprise a securingassembly for releasably securing the sheet of material in the coverforming position on the upper support surface for generally immobilizingthe sheet prior to the forming step. The apparatus may further comprisea sheet feeder for automatically placing a sheet of material on thesupport surface and/or a pick an place assembly for picking up thearticle from an article supply and for placing the article into theopening to form the covered article. Additionally, the apparatus mayfurther comprise a removal assembly for automatically removing thecovered article from the opening of the platform.

The present invention further comprises a method for processing anarticle, such as a flower pot or potted plant. The first step comprisesproviding a platform such as described above which has an upper supportsurface formed thereon and at least one opening extending through thesupport surface. The opening is sized exactly as described above and hasa cover forming mold disposed therein. Each cover forming mold hascontacting portions and is sized to receive an article such as a pottedplant which has an upper end, a lower end, an opening, and an outerperipheral surface.

The next step comprises placing a sheet of material in a cover formingposition over the opening. The sheet of material, in the cover formingposition, is positioned over the cover forming mold in the opening.

In the next step, a potted plant is covered with the sheet of materialby positioning the potted plant in a position over the sheet of materialand disposing the lower end of the pot generally above and near theportion of the sheet of material which is above the cover forming mold.The pot is moved in a direction which causes the lower end of the pot toengage a portion of the sheet of material. The sheet of material isthereby caused to contact or nearly contact both the outer peripheralsurface of the pot and the contacting portions of the cover forming moldas the pot is moved. The sheet is pressed about the outer peripheralsurface of the pot to form a cover about the pot. The cover has an innersurface facing the outer peripheral surface of the pot and an outersurface facing the interior of the mold.

Following this, a fastener is automatically applied about a portion ofthe outer surface of the covered pot for fastening the cover about thepot. Then, if a labeling assembly is included as a component of theapparatus a label is automatically applied to a portion of the outersurface of the cover of the covered pot for labeling the covered pot.Finally, the covered pot is removed from the opening. Alternatively, thestep of automatically applying a label may occur prior to the step ofautomatically applying a fastener.

In an alternative embodiment, the step of placing a sheet of material onthe support surface may be performed automatically using an automaticsheet feeding assembly. Also, the step of forming a covered article maybe performed automatically by using an automatic pick and place assemblyto pick up an article and place it into the opening to form the coveredarticle. Additionally, the step of removing the covered article mayfurther comprise automatically removing the covered article from theopening of the platform.

The machine may be located on any axis and may be portable orstationary. The machine can use pre-cut sheets fed manually orautomatically with a dispenser which feeds a sized sheet from a roll tothe proper working position on the machine table. The fasteningapparatus may also tie the knot on a radius or on a tangent to theobject.

The Embodiments of FIGS. 1-3

Shown in FIG. 1 and designated therein by the general reference numeral10 is a sheet of material. The sheet of material 10 has a first end 12,a second end 14, a first side 16, a second side 18, an upper surface 20and a lower surface 22.

A closure bonding material 24 may be disposed on the upper surface 20 ofthe sheet of material, alternatively, the sheet of material 10 may befree of a closure bonding material. As shown in FIG. 1, the closurebonding material 24, if present, may be disposed adjacent the first side16 of the sheet of material 10 and extends between the first and thesecond ends 12 and 14 of the sheet of material 10 or it may be disposedon any other portion of the sheet 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the closurebonding material 24 is disposed on the upper surface 20 in a strip ofclosure bonding material 24, although the closure bonding material 24also could be applied to the upper surface 20 of the sheet of material10 in the form of spaced apart spots or the closure bonding material 24also could be disposed on the upper surface 20 of the sheet of material10 in any other geometric form and in any pattern including covering theentire upper surface 20 of the sheet of material 10. In thislast-mentioned instance, the closure bonding material and the connectingbonding material would be contained within the bonding material coveringthe sheet of material 10. The term "spot" or "spots" includes anygeometric shape of spot including, but not limited to, what is commonlyreferred to as strips.

The sheet of material 10 has a thickness in a range from about 0.1 milsto about 30 mils. Preferably, the sheet of material 10 has a thicknessin a range from about 0.1 mils to about 5 mils.

The sheet of material 10 may be any shape and a square or rectangularshape is shown in FIG. 1 only by way of example. The sheet of material10 for example only may be square, rectangular, circular or any othergeometric shape such as heart shaped, for example only.

The sheet of material 10 may be constructed of a single layer ofmaterial or a plurality of layers of the same or different types ofmaterials. Any thickness of the sheet of material 10 may be utilized inaccordance with the present invention as long as the sheet of material10 is wrappable about an object, such as a plant or flower pot, asdescribed herein. The layers of material comprising the sheet ofmaterial 10 may be connected together or laminated or may be separatelayers.

Shown in FIG. 2 is a second sheet of material 26. The second sheet ofmaterial 26 has a first end 28, a second end 30, a first side 32, asecond side 34, an upper surface 36 and a lower surface 38. The secondsheet of material 26, if used is preferably constructed of paper. Theterm "paper" as used herein means treated or untreated paper, corrugatedpaper or cardboard or any other form of paper material.

The first sheet of material 10 has a length 40 extending between thefirst and the second sides 16 and 18 of the sheet of material 10. Thefirst sheet of material 10 also has a width 42 extending between thefirst and the second ends 12 and 14 of the first sheet of material 10.

The second sheet of material 26 has a length 44 extending between thefirst and the second sides 32 and 34 of the second sheet of material 26.The second sheet of material 26 has a width 46 extending between thefirst and the second ends 28 and 30 of the second sheet of material 26.In a preferred embodiment, the length 44 of the second sheet of material26 is less than the length 40 of the first sheet of material 10 as shownin FIG. 3 so that, when the first sheet of material 10 is disposedadjacent the second sheet of material 26, a portion of the first sheetof material 10 adjacent the first side 16 thereof extends a distancebeyond the first side 32 of the second sheet of material 26, in a mannerand for reason which will be described in greater detail below.

The first sheet of material has a thickness in a range from about 0.5mils to about 30 mils and preferably the thickness of the first sheet ofmaterial is in a range from about 0.5 mils to about 10 mils. The firstsheet of material 10 is constructed of a material which is flexible.

The second sheet of material 26 has a thickness in a range from about0.1 mils to about 30 mils and preferably in a range from about 0.1 milsto about 10 mils. The second sheet of material 26 is flexible, butrelatively rigid compared to the first sheet of material 10.

The second sheet of material 26 may be any shape and a square orrectangular shape is shown in FIG. 2 only by way of example. The secondsheet of material for example only may be square, rectangular, circularor any other geometric shape.

The second sheet of material 26 may be constructed of a single layer ofmaterials or a plurality of layers of the same or different types ofmaterials. Any thickness of the second sheet of material 26 may beutilized in accordance with the present invention as long as the secondsheet of material 26 is wrappable about an object such as a flower pot,as described herein, and as long as the second sheet of material 26provides the rigidity described herein or the absorbency describedherein or both. The layers of material comprising the second sheet ofmaterial 26 may be connected together or laminated or may be separatelayers.

In operation, when a second sheet of material 26 is desired in additionto the first sheet of material 10, the second sheet of material 26 isplaced adjacent the first sheet of material 10 as shown in FIG. 3. Inthis position, the lower surface 38 of the second sheet of material 26is disposed adjacent the upper surface 20 of the first sheet of material10. The width 42 of the first sheet of material 10 is about equal to thewidth 46 of the second sheet of material 26 so that, when the first andthe second sheets of material 10 and 26 are disposed adjacent eachother, the first end 28 of the second sheet of material is generallyaligned with the first end 12 of the first sheet of material 10, thesecond end 30 of the second sheet of material 26 is generally alignedwith the second end 14 of the first sheet of material 10, the secondside 18 of the first sheet of material 10 is generally aligned with thesecond side 34 of the second sheet of material and the first side 16 ofthe first sheet of material 10 extends a distance beyond the first side32 of the second sheet of material 26 so that the closure bondingmaterial 24 on the upper surface 20 of the first sheet of material 10 isexposed and not covered by the second sheet of material 26.

It should be noted that the first and the second sheets of material 10and 26 each could have virtually identical lengths 40 and 44. In thiscase, the second sheet of material 26 is disposed on the first sheet ofmaterial 10 in such a manner that the second side 34 of the second sheetof material 26 extends a distance beyond the second side 18 of the firstsheet of material 10 whereby the first side 16 of the first sheet ofmaterial 10 is spaced a distance from the first side 32 of the secondsheet of material 26 thereby leaving the closure bonding material 24 onthe first sheet of material 10 exposed and not covered by the secondsheet of material 26. And multiple sheets of material 10 and 26 may beused. Moreover, when multiple sheets of material 10 and 26 are used incombination, the sheets of material 10 and 26 need not be uniform insize or shape. Finally, it will be appreciated that the sheets ofmaterial 10 and 26 shown in all embodiments herein are substantiallyflat.

As noted earlier, a closure bonding material may be disposed on theupper surface of the first sheet of material 10. The closure bondingmaterial 24 may be applied as a strip or as spots or other shapes. Onemethod for disposing a closure bonding material, in this case anadhesive, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637 entitled "Method ForWrapping A Floral Grouping" issued to Weder et al., on May 12, 1992 andwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The first sheet of material 10 can be utilized alone or in combinationwith the second sheet of material 26 to wrap a potted plant or flowerpot. The term "flower pot" refers to any type of container used forholding a floral grouping or a potted plant. Examples of flower potsused in accordance with the present invention are clay pots, plasticpots, and the like. "Floral grouping" as used herein means cut freshflowers, artificial flowers, a single flower or other fresh and/orartificial plants or other floral materials and may include othersecondary plants and/or ornamentation or artificial or natural materialswhich add to the aesthetics of the overall floral arrangement. Thefloral grouping comprises a bloom or foliage portion and a stem portion.However, it will be appreciated that the floral grouping may consist ofonly a single bloom or only foliage (not shown). The term "floralgrouping" may be used interchangeably herein with the term "floralarrangement".

The first sheet of material 10 or the second sheet of material 26 may beconstructed of a single layer of material or a plurality of layers ofthe same or different types of materials. Any thickness of the sheet ofmaterial 10 or 26 may be utilized in accordance with the presentinvention as long as the sheet of material 10 or 26 may be wrapped orformed about at least a portion of a portion of a flower pot, asdescribed herein. Additionally, an insulating material such as bubblefilm, preferable as one of two or more layers, can be utilized in orderto provide additional protection for the item wrapped therein.

In a preferred embodiment, the first sheet of material 10 is constructedfrom two polypropylene films (a 20"×15" sheet of Mobil 270 ABW whiteopaque film laminated to a 20"×15" sheet of Mobil 220 AB clear film)having a thickness in a range of from less than about 1.0 mil to about2.5 mil. The layers of material comprising the first sheet of material10 may be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers.

The sheet of material 10 is constructed from any suitable wrappingmaterial that is capable of being wrapped about a flower pot or floralgrouping, as the case may be. Preferably, the wrapping material 10comprises paper (untreated or treated in any manner), cellophane, foil,polymer film, fabric (woven or nonwoven or synthetic or natural),burlap, or combinations thereof.

The term "polymer film" means a man made polymer such as a polypropyleneor a naturally occurring polymer such as cellophane. A polymer film isrelatively strong and not as subject to tearing (substantiallynon-tearable), as might be the case with paper or foil.

The sheet of material 10 or 26 may vary in color. Further, the sheet ofmaterial 10 or 26 may consist of designs or decorative patterns whichare printed, etched, and/or embossed thereon using inks or otherprinting materials. An example of an ink which may be applied to thesurface of the sheet of material 10 or 26 is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,147,706 entitled "Water Based Ink On Foil And/Or synthetic organicpolymer" issued to Kingman on Sep. 15, 1992 and which is herebyincorporated herein by reference. In addition, the sheet of material 10or 26 may have various colorings, coatings, flocking and/or metallicfinishes, or other decorative surface ornamentation applied separatelyor simultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially bypearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent or the like,qualities. Each of the above named characteristics may occur alone or incombination and may be applied to the upper and/or lower surface of thesheet of material 10 or 26. Moreover each surface of the sheet ofmaterial 10 or 26 may vary in the combination of such characteristics.The sheet of material 10 or 26 itself may be opaque, translucent orpartially clear or tinted transparent.

Embodiments of FIGS. 4-8

Referring now to FIG. 4, a bonding material may be applied to either theupper surface of a first sheet of material 10a or to the lower surfaceof a second sheet 26a of material in a plurality of patches 48 for thepurpose of bonding the upper surface of the first sheet 10a to the lowersurface of the second sheet 26a.

Shown in FIG. 5 is a modified first sheet of material 10b connected to amodified second sheet of material 26b. The first sheet of material 10bis constructed exactly like the sheet of material 10. The second sheetof material 26b is constructed like the sheet of material 26 describedin detail before and shown in FIG. 2, except the second sheet ofmaterial 26b includes a bonding material 60 disposed on the lowersurface 38b of the second sheet of material 26b. The bonding material 60is in the form of a plurality of spaced apart spots of bonding material60, similar to that shown in FIG. 4. The lower surface 38b of the secondsheet of material 26b is bondingly connected to the upper surface 20b ofthe first sheet of material 10b by way of the bonding material 60. Sincethe bonding material 60 is in the form of a plurality of spaced apartspots, a plurality of spaced apart spaces 62 (only one of the spaces 62being designated by reference numeral in FIG. 5) are formed between thelower surface 38b of the second sheet of material 26b and the uppersurface 20b of the first sheet of material 10b. The spaces 62 provideair gaps which form an insulation when the first and the second sheetsof material 10b and 26b are wrapped about a flower pot in a manner andfor reasons like that described herein.

Shown in FIG. 6 is a modified first sheet of material 10c connected to amodified second sheet of material 26c. The first sheet of material 10cis constructed exactly like the sheet of material 10 shown in FIG. 1,except the first sheet of material 10c includes a bonding material 64disposed on the upper surface 20c of the first sheet of material 10c.The bonding material 64 is in the form of a plurality of spaced apartspots of bonding material 64, similar to that shown in FIG. 5. The lowersurface 38c of the second sheet of material 26c is bondingly connectedto the upper surface 20c of the first sheet of material 10c by way ofthe bonding material 64. Since the bonding material 64 is in the form ofa plurality of spaced apart spots, a plurality of spaces 66 (only one ofthe spaces 66 being designated by a reference numeral in FIG. 6) areformed between the lower surface 38c of the second sheet of material 26cand the upper surface 20c of the first sheet of material 10c. The spaces66 provide air gaps which form an insulation when the first and thesecond sheets of material 10c and 26c are wrapped about a flower pot ina manner and for reasons like that described herein in connection withFIG. 5.

Shown in FIG. 7 is a modified first sheet of material 10d connected to amodified second sheet of material 26d. The first sheet of material 10dis constructed exactly like the sheet of material shown in FIG. 1,except the first sheet of material 10d includes a bonding material 68 onthe upper surface 20d thereof. The second sheet of material 26d isconstructed exactly like the second sheet of material 26 shown in FIG.2, except the second sheet of material 26d includes a plurality ofspaced apart raised portions 70. The raised portions 70 may be formed byembossing the second sheet of material 26d or forming corrugations inthe second sheet of material 26d or in any other manner desired in anyparticular application.

The upper surface 20d of the first sheet of material 10d is disposedgenerally adjacent the lower surface 38d of the second sheet of material20d or, more particularly, adjacent the raised portions 70 on the secondsheet of material 26d. In this position, the raised portions 70 arebonded to the upper surface 20d of the first sheet of material 10d byway of the bonding material 68 to connect the first sheet of material10d to the second sheet of material 20d.

The spaced apart raised portions 70 on the second sheet of material 26dform a plurality of spaces 72 between the first sheet of material 10dand the second sheet of material 26d in a connected position of thefirst and the second sheets of material 10d and 26d for providinginsulation when the first and second sheets of material 10d and 26d areconnected together and wrapped about a flower pot in a manner like thatdescribed herein.

Shown in FIG. 8 is a modified first sheet of material 10e connected to amodified second sheet of material 26e. The first sheet of material 10eis constructed exactly like the sheet of material 10 shown in FIG. 1,except the first sheet of material 10e includes a plurality of spacedapart raised portions 74. The raised portions 74 may be formed in thefirst sheet of material 10e by embossing the first sheet of material 10eor forming corrugations in the first sheet of material 10e or in anyother suitable manner. The second sheet of material 26e is constructedexactly like the second sheet of material 26 shown in FIG. 2, except thesecond sheet of material 26e includes a bonding material 76 disposed onthe lower surface 38e thereof.

In operation, the upper surface 20e of the first sheet of material 10eis disposed generally adjacent the lower surface 38e of the second sheetof material 26e or, more particularly, the raised portions 74 on thefirst sheet of material 10e are disposed adjacent the lower surface 38eof the second sheet of material 26e. In this position, the first sheetof material 10e is bondingly connected to the second sheet of material26e by way of the bonding material 76 on the second sheet of material26e or, more particularly, the bonding material 76 on the second sheetof material 26e bondingly engages and bondingly connects to the raisedportions 74 on the first sheet of material 10e to connect the firstsheet of material 10e to the second sheet of material 26e. In thisconnected position of the first sheet of material 10e and the secondsheet of material 26e, the raised portions 74 cooperate to form aplurality of spaces 78. Between the first sheet of material 10e and thesecond she et of material 26e. The spaces 78 cooperate to provide aninsulation when the first and the second sheets of material 10e and 26eare wrapped about a flower pot in a manner and for reasons like thatdescribed herein.

Embodiments of FIGS. 9-10

Referring now to FIG. 9, a plurality of individual sheets of material10f are connected linearly together to form a roll 80. Preferably, theplurality of sheets of material 10f in the roll 80 are connected byperforations 82, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Such a roll 80 permits onesheet of material 10f to be withdrawn from the roll 80, then severed ordisconnected from the roll 80. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10, theroll 80 may simply be formed as a continuous roll 80 of wrappingmaterial without perforations, wherein a plurality of sheets of material10f may be removed from the roll 80 by unrolling a portion of the roll80, and using a separate cutting element (not shown) to sever theunrolled portion of the roll 80 of material to form the sheet ofmaterial 10f. The roll 80 may also be contained within a dispenser 84,as illustrated in FIG. 10. When the roll 80 is disposed in the dispenser84, a portion of the wrapping material is again unrolled, and a serratedcutting edge 86 contained within the dispenser 84, or a separate cuttingelement (not shown), severs the unrolled portion of the wrappingmaterial from the roll 80 to form a sheet of material 10f. Any number ofsheets of material 10f may form the roll 80 as long as it is possible towithdraw at least one sheet 10f from the roll 80 as described herein.

Embodiments of FIGS. 11-12

The first and the second sheets of material described herein can beprovided in the form of a roll of first and second sheets of materialwherein the first and the second sheets of material are unrolled fromthe roll of first and second sheets of material and the first and thesecond sheets of material are severed from the roll either byperforations at spaced apart locations in the roll or by cutting thefirst and the second sheets of material from the roll. It also should benoted that additional sheets of material may be combined with the firstand the second sheets of material if so desired in a particularapplication.

Shown in FIG. 11 is a roll of material 90 comprising a first material 92and a second material 94 with the second material 94 being disposedadjacent the first material 92. The first material 92 is constructed ofany of the materials described before with respect to the first sheet ofmaterial. The second material 94 is constructed of any of the materialsdescribed before with respect to the second sheet of material.

The roll of material 90 is disposed in a dispenser 96 having an opening98 through which the materials 92 and 94 may be withdrawn from the rollof material 90. A cutting edge 100 is disposed on the dispenser 96 nearthe opening 98. The cutting edge 100 may be a sawtooth type of edge, asshown in FIG. 11, or the cutting edge 100 maybe any other type of edgeor device suitable for cutting a portion of the materials 92 and 94 fromthe roll of material 90 and the cutting edge 100 may be connected to thedispenser 96 or may be a separate component if desired in particularapplication.

The roll of material 90 has a leading edge 102. In operation, theleading edge 102 is gripped or a portion of the first and/or the secondmaterials are gripped and the first and the second materials areunrolled and withdrawn from the roll of material 90 in a direction 104.The first and the second materials 92 and 94 are withdrawn or unrolledfrom the roll of material 90 until a desired length of the first and thesecond materials 92 and 94 have been withdrawn from the roll of material90. In this position, a portion of the first and the second materials 92and 94 are disposed adjacent the cutting edge 100. The first and thesecond materials 92 and 94 then are maneuvered to pass the first and thesecond materials 92 and 94 over the cutting edge 100 thereby severing aportion of the material extending a distance from the leading edge 102thereof from the roll of material 90. The portion of the first and thesecond materials 92 and 94 withdrawn from the roll of material 90 andsevered from the roll of material 90 comprise the first and the secondsheets of material as described herein.

The first and the second materials 92 and 94 in the roll of material 90may be connected or unconnected. Further, the roll of material 90 maycomprise two rolls of material with one of the rolls of materialcomprising the first material 92 and the other roll of materialcomprising the second material 94. In this last-mentioned embodiment,the first material 92 is withdrawn from the first roll of material andthe second material 94 is withdrawn from the second roll of materialabout simultaneously so that the first and the second materials 92 and94 are provided in a manner as generally shown in FIG. 11 for severingfrom the first and second rolls of material to provide the first and thesecond sheets of material as described herein. The term "roll ofmaterial" as used herein is intended to encompass two or more rolls inthe manner generally described.

Shown in FIG. 12 is a modified roll of material 90a comprising a firstmaterial 92a and a second material 94a with a leading edge 102a. Theroll of material 90a is constructed exactly like the roll of material 90described before, except the roll of material 90a is not disposed in adispenser constructed like the dispenser 96 shown in FIG. 11. Rather,the roll of material 90a is supported on a generally mounted shaft 106.The first and the second sheets of material 92a and 94a are withdrawnfrom the roll of material 90a in a manner like that described before inconnection with FIG. 11 until a predetermined length of the first andthe second materials 92a and 94a have been withdrawn from the roll ofmaterial 90a. In this position, a portion of the first and the secondmaterials 92a and 94a are disposed under a knife edge 108. The knifeedge 108 is connected to an actuator 10 adapted to move the knife edge108 in a direction 112 and in a direction 114. When the predeterminedlength of the first and the second materials 92a and 94a have beenwithdrawn from the roll of material 90a, the actuator 110 actuates tomove the knife edge 108 in the direction 112 to a position wherein theknife edge 108 severingly engages the materials 92a and 94a toseveringly cut a portion of the first and the second materials 92a and94a from the roll of materials 90a to provide the first and the secondsheets of material as described herein. The actuator 110 may comprise ahydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or a motor and gear arrangement or anyother, form of arrangement suitable for moving the knife edge 108 in thedirections 112 and 114. After the knife edge 108 has cuttingly severedthe desired portion of the first and the second sheets of material 92aand 94a from the roll of material 90a, the actuator 110 is actuated tomove the knife edge 108 in the direction 114 to a storage positiondisposed a distance above the first and the second materials 92a and 94aas opposed to the cutting position previously described.

Embodiment of FIG. 13

Shown in FIG. 13 is a pad 116 of first sheets of materials designated bythe reference numerals 10f, 10g, and 10h in FIG. 13 and a plurality ofsecond sheets of material designated in FIG. 13 by the referencenumerals 26f, 26g and 26h. The first sheets of material 10f, 10g and 10hmay be constructed like the sheet of material 10 shown in FIG. 1 anddescribed in detail before and the second sheets of material 26f, 26gand 26h may be constructed like the second sheet of material 26 shown inFIG. 2 and described in detail before, or like any of the other firstand the second sheets of material described herein. The first and thesecond sheets of material 10f, 10g, 10h, 26f, 26g and 26h are connectedin the form of a pad 116 with the closure bonding material 24f, 24g and24h cooperating to connect the first sheets of material 10f, 10g and 10hin the form of the pad 116. The second sheets of material 26f, 26g and26h may be connected to the respective first sheets of material 10f, 10gand 10h or may be interleaved between the adjacent first sheets ofmaterial 10f, 10g and 10h in the pad 116. In the alternative, the secondsheets of material 26f, 26g and 26h may be connected to form the pad 116with the first sheets of material 10f, 10g and 10h being interleaved inthe respective second sheets of material 26f, 26g and 26h and/orconnected thereto. In operation, one of the first sheets of material10f, 10g or 10h along with the adjacent second sheet of material 26f,26g and 26h may be removed from the pad 116 and then placed in positionto be wrapped about the flower pot.

Embodiments of FIGS. 14-18

As noted above, a first sheet of material 10 or a first sheet 10 and asecond sheet of material 26 may be used to provide a decorative coverfor an object such as a flower pot or a potted plant. To cover theobject, the sheet or sheets may be manually or automatically placed in aposition to be formed about the outer peripheral surface of the pot orpotted plant as described in more detail below. Or, the sheet or sheetsmay be formed into a preformed cover which is then placed in a positionto receive the pot or potted plant.

Referring to FIG. 14, to form a sheet of material 10i into a cover abouta pot 140, the sheet of material 10i is disposed above an opening in aplatform. The pot 140 is then disposed upon the upper surface 20i of thesheet of material 10i, so the lower end 142 of the pot 140 rests uponthe portion of the upper surface 20i which is over the opening. The pot140 has an outer peripheral surface 144 and an upper end 146. In oneembodiment of a manual application of the sheet 10i about the pot 140,the pot 140 is manually pushed in a direction into the opening coveredby the sheet 10i. The upper surface 20i of the sheet of material 10i iscaused to be pressed about the outer peripheral surface 20i (FIG. 15)thereby engaging the outer peripheral surface 20i to form a cover 148about the pot 140 as shown in FIG. 16. The lower surface 22i of thesheet of material 10i thereby becomes the outer surface 150 of the cover148.

Another method for wrapping the sheet of material 10i about a pot 140for forming such a cover is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,521 entitled"Cover Forming Apparatus" issued to Weder et al., on Mar. 29, 1988,which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

A cover 148 formed by wrapping the sheet of material 10i about theflower pot 140 may be secured to the outer peripheral surface 144 of thepot 140 by the use of one or more bonding materials described herein.One particular method of securing the cover 148 to the pot 140 is byapplying a band about the pot 140 to hold the covering in place such asis described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599 entitled "Means For Securing ADecorative Cover About A Flower Pot" issued to Weder on Apr. 21, 1992and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

Alternatively, the sheet of material may be preformed into a cover 152having an opening 154 as shown in FIG. 17. The cover 152 is selfsupporting by virtue of overlapping folds which are bonded to eachother, thereby forming a rigid structure. The preformed cover 152 may bedeposited into an opening in a table or platform to support the cover152. A potted plant 156 can then be disposed into the opening 154 of thepreformed cover 152, thereby resulting in a covered potted plant 158 asshown in FIG. 18.

One method for forming such a preformed plant cover or pot cover isshown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,182 entitled "Article Forming System"issued to Weder et al., on Sep. 27, 1988, which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

Embodiments of FIGS. 19-22

Referring to FIG. 19, as shown therein and designated by the generalreference numeral 10j is another sheet of material constructed inaccordance with the present invention. The sheet of material 10j shownin FIG. 19 has an upper surface 12j, a lower surface 14j (FIG. 21), afirst end 16j, a second end 18j, a first side 20j and a second side 22j.The ends 16j and 18j cooperate with the sides 20j and 22j to define anouter peripheral surface 24j of the sheet of material 10j. The outerperipheral surface 24j of the sheet of material 10j is defined byperforations 26j, as shown in FIGS. 19, 21 and 22.

As shown in FIGS. 19, 21 and 22, a sheet extension 28j is connected tothe outer peripheral surface 24j of the sheet of material 10j. As shownin FIGS. 19 and 21, the sheet extension 28j extends a distance outwardlyfrom the outer peripheral surface 24j of the sheet of material 10j. Thesheet extension 28j has a first end 30j, a second end 32j, a first side34j and a second side 36j. A portion of the sheet extension 28j extendsa distance outwardly from the first end 16j of the sheet of material 10jterminating with the first end 30j of the sheet extension 28j. Anotherportion of the sheet extension 28j extends a distance outwardly from thesecond end 18j of the sheet of material 10j terminating with the secondend 32j of the sheet extension 28j. Yet another portion of the sheetextension 28j extends a distance outwardly from the first side 20j ofthe sheet of material 10j terminating with the first side 34j of thesheet extension 28j. Still another portion of the sheet extension 28jextends a distance outwardly from the second side 22j of the sheet ofmaterial 10j terminating with the second side 36j of the sheet extension28j.

The sheet extension 28j cooperates with the sheet of material 10j todefine a generally square or rectangularly shaped sheet with theperforations 26j being disposed in a central portion of the sheet anddefining the outer peripheral surface 24j of the sheet of material 10j.Preferably, the sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j areunitary and formed from a single sheet or plies or multiple sheets oneon top of the other which may or may not be laminated.

The sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j are constructedfrom any suitable flexible material that is capable of being wrappedabout a floral grouping and formed into the covering, as describedherein. Preferably, the sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension28j are constructed of a material selected from a group of materialsconsisting of paper, metal foil, cloth (natural or synthetic), denim,burlap or polymer film as defined above or combinations thereof.

The sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j have a thicknessin a range from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mils. Preferably, the sheet ofmaterial 10j and the sheet extension 28j have a thickness in a rangefrom about 0.1 mil to about 5 mils.

The sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j may be any shapeand a rectangular shape is shown in FIG. 19 only by way of example. Thesheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j for example only maybe square, rectangular, circular or any other geometric shape such asheart shaped for example only.

The sheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j may be constructedof a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same ordifferent types of materials. Any thickness of the sheet of material 10jand the sheet extension 28j may be utilized in accordance with thepresent invention as long as the sheet of material 10j and the sheetextension 28j is wrappable about a floral grouping and formable into thecovering, as described herein. The layers of material comprising thesheet of material 10j and the sheet extension 28j may be connectedtogether or laminated or may be separate layers.

The covering of the present invention is particularly constructed to beused with a pot 38j (FIG. 20). The pot 38j has a top 40j, a bottom 42jwith an opening through the top 40j forming a receiving space 44j withinthe pot 38j. The pot 38j also has an outer peripheral surface 46j. Asshown in FIG. 20, the pot 38j is generally cylindrically shaped.However, the pot 38j may be any shaped as may be desired in a particularapplication.

A floral grouping 48j is disposed at least partially within thereceiving space of the pot 38j, as shown in FIG. 20. The floral grouping48j has a stemmed end 50j and a bloom end 52j. In one embodiment asshown in FIG. 20, material such as soil 54j is disposed in the receivingspace 44j and a portion of the stem end 50j extends into the soil 54j.The floral grouping extends a distance upwardly from the top 40j of thepot 38j terminating with the bloom end 52j.

The sheet extension 28j is transparent, although a decorative patternalso may be applied to the sheet extension 28j.

The sheet of material 10j with the sheet extension 28j connected theretois placed between a male and a female die or other forming means andformed into a pot cover 56j (FIG. 21). As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, thepot cover 56j has a top 58j, a closed bottom 60j and a cover opening 62j(FIG. 21) formed through the top 58j and extending through the top 58j adistance toward the bottom 60j of the pot cover 56j providing a potreceiving space 64j (FIG. 21). The pot receiving space 64j is shaped andadapted to receive the pot 38j.

The pot cover 56j has a plurality of overlapping folds 66j (FIG. 21)with each of the overlapping folds 66j extending at various distancesand at various angles over an outer peripheral surface 68j (FIG. 21) ofthe pot cover 56j extending between the top 58j and the bottom 60j. Theoverlapping folds 66j extend at various angles and over various distanceover the outer peripheral surface 68j.

The pot cover 56j includes a skirt 70j (FIGS. 21 and 22). The skirt 70jextends from the top 40j of the pot 38j radially outwardly with an outerperipheral surface of the skirt 70j being formed by the outer peripheralsurface 24j of the sheet of material 10j. The perforations 26j extendalong the outer peripheral surface of the skirt 70j formed by the outerperipheral surface 24j of the sheet of material 10j.

The overlapping folds 66j may be connected or at least partiallyconnected. The connection of the overlapping folds may be accomplishedby using heat sealing material and heat sealing the overlapping folds orby adhesively or cohesively connecting the overlapping folds.

The pot 38j is placed in the pot receiving space 64j and positioned inthe pot cover 56j such that the bottom 42j of the pot 38j is disposedgenerally adjacent the bottom 60j of the pot cover 56j. The pot cover56j substantially encompasses the entire outer peripheral surface 46j ofthe pot 38j including the bottom 42j. The pot cover 56j extends from thebottom 42j to the top 40j of the pot 38j. The skirt 70j extends radiallyoutwardly from the top 40j of the pot 38j.

After the pot 38j has been placed in the pot cover 56j, the skirtextension 28j is formed about the floral grouping 48j to a positionwherein the sheet extension 28j covers and encompasses a substantialportion of the floral grouping including the bloom end of the floralgrouping.

The sheet extension 28j preferably includes a bonding material 72j (FIG.19) disposed on the upper surface of the sheet extension 28j andextending about the outer peripheral surface of the sheet extension 28j.After the sheet extension 28j has been formed about the floral grouping48j, the ends of the sheet of material are bonded together to provide aclosed end 74j (FIG. 22). The term "bonding material" as used herein isas defined below.

The sheet extension 28j remains in a position extending about the floralgrouping 48j until it is desired to remove the sheet extension 28j. Thesheet extension 28j is removed from the pot cover 56j by tearing alongthe perforations 26j separating the sheet extension 28j from the potcover 56j. The sheet extension 28j then is removed from the floralgrouping 48j leaving the pot cover 56j providing a decorative cover forthe pot 38j.

In addition to the perforations 26j, the sheet extension 28j also mayinclude perforations extending between the perforations 26j and theouter peripheral surface of the sheet extension 28j to further assist inthe removal of the sheet extension 28j when it is no longer desired tokeep the sheet extension 28j extending about the floral grouping 48j.

Shown in FIG. 23 and designated by the general reference number 10k is asheet of material constructed in accordance with the present invention.The sheet of material 10k includes a first end 12k, a second end 14k, afirst side 16k and a second side 18k. The sheet of material 10k alsoincludes an upper surface 20k (FIG. 23) and a lower surface 22k (FIG.24).

A connecting bonding material 24k is disposed on the upper surface 20kof the sheet of material 10k. The sheet of material 10k has an outerperipheral surface 26k. The connecting bonding material 10k is disposednear and spaced a distance 28k from the outer peripheral surface 26k ofthe sheet of material 10k and extends generally circumferentially aboutthe sheet of material 10k.

The sheet of material 10k shown in FIG. 23 is circularly shaped and theconnecting bonding material 24k extends in a circularly shaped patternover the upper surface 20k of the sheet of material 10k. The sheet ofmaterial 10k may be any geometric shape such as square or rectangular orheart shaped or trapezoidally shaped or any other geometric shape.Further, the connecting bonding material 24k may extend in any geometricpattern over the upper surface 20k of the sheet of material 10k, and thecircularly shaped pattern is shown in FIG. 23 only by way of example.

A sheet extension 25k is connected to the sheet of material 10k. Thesheet extension 25k extends about the outer peripheral surface 26k ofthe sheet of material 10k. The sheet extension 25k extends outwardlyfrom the sheet of material 10k terminating with an outer peripheralsurface 27k. The sheet extension 25k has an upper surface 29k (FIG. 23)and a lower surface 31k (FIG. 24). The upper surface 29k is disposed ina plane about coplanar with the upper surface 20k of the sheet ofmaterial 10k and lower surface 31k is disposed in a plane about coplanarwith the lower surface 22k of the sheet of material 10k.

The sheet extension 25k and the sheet of material 10k may be integrallyconstructed of a single sheet of material or the sheet extension 25k maybe laminated to the sheet of material 10k. A connecting bonding material33k is disposed on the upper surface 29k of the sheet extension 25k. Theconnecting bonding material 33k is disposed near and spaced a distancefrom the outer peripheral surface 27k of the sheet extension 25k andextends generally circumferentially about the sheet extension 25k.

The sheet extension 25k is shown in FIG. 23 as being circularly shaped.The sheet extension 25k may be any geometric shape such as a square orrectangular or heart shaped or trapezoidally shaped or any othergeometric shape and the geometric shape of the sheet extension 25k maybe the same as the geometric shape of the sheet of material 10k or thesheet extension 25k may have a geometric shape different from thegeometric shape of the sheet of material 10k. Further, although thesheet extension 25k is shown in FIG. 23 as extending circumferentiallyabout the outer peripheral surface 26k of the sheet of material 10k, thesheet extension 25k may extend only about a portion of the outerperipheral surface 26k of the sheet of material 10k or the sheetextension 25k may comprise segments with each segment extending about aportion of the outer peripheral surface 26k of the sheet of material10k.

The sheet of material 10k and the sheet extension 25k may be constructedof a single layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same ordifferent types of materials as described above. Any thickness of thesheet of material 10k and the sheet extension 25k may be utilized inaccordance with the present invention as long as the sheet of material10k and the sheet extension 25k are wrappable or formable about a flowerpot or a floral grouping in the manners described herein. The layers ofmaterial comprising the sheet of material 10k and the sheet extension25k may be connected together or laminated or may be separate layers. Adecorative pattern, such as a color and/or an embossed pattern, and/orother decorative surface ornamentation may be applied to the uppersurface 20k and/or the lower surface 22k of the sheet of material 10k orportions thereof as described above.

A decorative pattern, such as a color and/or an embossed pattern, and/orother decorative surface ornamentation may be applied to the uppersurface 29k and/or the lower surface 31k of the sheet extension 25k orportions thereof as described above. The sheet extension 25k also may betotally or partially clear or tinted transparent material as describedabove.

The connecting bonding materials 24k and 33k are shown in FIG. 23 asbeing applied to the upper surface 20k or the upper surface 29k in theform of a circularly shaped strip. The connecting bonding materials 24kor 33k may be applied in the form of spots or spaced apart strips andthe spots may be any geometric pattern or any other type of pattern suchas a logo for example. Further, the connecting bonding materials 24k or33k may include a color to obscure the fact that the connecting bondingmaterials 24k and 33k are disposed on the sheet of material 10k or thesheet extension 25k.

Shown in FIG. 24 is a flower pot 30k having an upper end 32k, a lowerend 34k and an outer peripheral surface 36k. An opening 38k is formedthrough the upper end 32k of the flower pot 30k providing access to aretaining space 40k.

The retaining space 40k forms an inner peripheral surface 42k in theflower pot 30k. A bottom 44k of the flower pot 30k is disposed at thelower end 34k and cooperates to enclose or partially enclose theretaining space 40k. The flower pot 30k may be any conventional,commercially available container well known in the art.

Growing medium 45k is shown in FIG. 24 disposed in the retaining space40k and a floral grouping 47k is shown in FIG. 24 partially disposed inthe growing media 45k. A portion of the floral grouping 47k extends adistance upwardly above the upper end 32k of the flower pot 30k.

The flower pot 30k is placed on the upper surface 20k of the sheet ofmaterial 10k. More particularly, the bottom 44k of the flower pot 30k isdisposed on a central portion of the sheet of material 10k. In thisposition, the connecting bonding material 24k extends circumferentiallyabout the flower pot 30k and the connecting bonding material 24k isspaced a distance from the flower pot 30k.

The sheet of material 10k then is formed about the flower pot 30k to aposition wherein the sheet of material 10k extends about and encompassessubstantially the entire outer peripheral surface 36k of the flower pot30k, including the bottom 44k. It should be noted that the sheet ofmaterial 10k does not have to cover the bottom 44k. In this position, aportion of the sheet of material 30k is disposed adjacent the bottom 44kof the flower pot 10k and portions of the sheet of material 10k extendupwardly and encompass the entire outer peripheral surface 36k of theflower pot 30k between the upper end 32k and the lower end 34k of theflower pot 10k. In one embodiment, the portions of the sheet of material10k extending over the outer peripheral surface 36k are spaced adistance from the outer peripheral surface 36k of the flower pot 30k toprovide a blossom type affect.

In this position, the portion of the sheet of material 10k disposed nearand about the connecting bonding material 24k is crimped by bringingtogether portions of the sheet of material 10k near and about theconnecting bonding material 24k so that portions of the sheet ofmaterial 10k near and about the connecting bonding material 24k aredisposed adjacent each other and the adjacent portions of the sheet ofmaterial 10k are connected by way of the connecting bonding material 24kthereby forming a plurality of overlapping folds 49k in the portion ofthe sheet of material 10k near and about the connecting bonding material24k. The connected overlapping folds 49k extend at various distances andat various angles. The connected overlapping folds 49k (FIG. 24) in thearea near and about the portion of the sheet of material 10k containingthe connecting bonding material 24k is designated in FIG. 24 by thereference numeral 46k and maybe referred to herein as the crimpedportion 46k (FIG. 24).

A typical section showing a portion of a typical overlapping fold 49k isshown in FIG. 25. The adjacent portions of the sheet of material 10k onthe upper surface 20k are shown in FIG. 25 as being connected while theadjacent portions of the sheet of material 10k on the lower surface 22kare unconnected since no bonding material is disposed on the lowersurface 22k. It should be noted that connecting bonding material alsocan be disposed on the lower surface 22k for connecting adjacentportions of the lower surface 22k in the crimped portion 46k if desiredand as described in more detail below.

The crimped portion 46k extends circumferentially about the upper end32k of the flower pot 30k. The crimped portion 46k also extends adistance inwardly from the upper end 32k of the flower pot 30k toward acentral portion of the retaining space 40k thereby forming a ridgeportion 48k extending circumferentially about the flower pot 30kgenerally near the upper end 32k of the flower pot 30k. The crimpedportion 46k and the ridge portion 48k thereof cooperate to engage theupper end 32k of the flower pot 30k to assist and cooperate in holdingthe sheet of material 10k formed about the flowerpot 30k to provide adecorative cover 50k (FIG. 24).

The crimped portion 46k when formed preferably causes adjacent portionsof the upper and lower surfaces 20k and 22k of the sheet of material 10kto be brought together or positioned adjacent each other. The crimpedportion 46k and the other crimped portions shown in the drawings areshown in an expanded form where the portions of the lower surface 22kare not disposed adjacent each other for the purpose of illustration andbecause this expanded form may be desired in some applications.

Either before or after or during the forming of the crimped portion 46k,the sheet extension 25k is formed about the floral grouping 47k to aposition wherein the sheet extension 25k encompasses a substantialportion of the floral grouping 47k, as shown in FIG. 24. The sheetextension 25k extends upwardly about the floral grouping 47k with aportion of the sheet extension 25k extending upwardly beyond the upperend of the floral grouping 47k terminating with the outer peripheralsurface 27k of the sheet extension 25k and forming an open upper end. Inthis position of the sheet extension 25k, portions of the sheetextension 25k near the outer peripheral surface 27k (the open upper end)thereof are brought into contact thereby bringing the bonding material33k into contact and engagement with adjacent portions of the sheetextension 25k for closing the sheet extension 25k about or above anupper end of the floral grouping 47k.

In a preferred form, a line of perforations 53k (FIGS. 23 and 24) isformed between the sheet of material 10k and the sheet extension 25k.The line of perforations 53k extends generally about the outerperipheral surface 26k of the sheet of material 10k. The sheet extension25k encompasses the floral grouping 47k and provides a protectivecovering for the floral grouping 47k to protect the floral grouping 47kduring shipment and/or storage. When it is desired to remove theprotective covering provided by the sheet extension 25k, the operatortears the sheet extension 25k along the line of perforations 53k therebysevering or separating the sheet extension 25k from the sheet ofmaterial 10k so that the sheet extension 25k can be removed from thesheet of material 10k or, in other words, the protective covering may beremoved from the decorative covering by tearing along the line ofperforations 53k.

The term "bonding material" when used herein means an adhesive,preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive. Where thebonding material is a cohesive, a similar cohesive material must beplaced on the adjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondinglyengaging with the cohesive material. The term "bonding material" alsoincludes materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance, theadjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact and thenheat must be applied to effect the seal. The term "bonding material"also includes materials which are sonic sealable and vibratory sealable.The term "bonding material" when used herein also means a heat sealinglacquer which may be applied to the sheet of material and, in thisinstance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, also must be applied toeffect the sealing.

The term "bonding material" when used herein also means any type ofmaterial or thing which can be used to effect the bonding or connectingof the two adjacent portions of the material or sheet of material toeffect the connection or bonding described herein. The term "bondingmaterial" also includes ties, labels, bands, ribbons, strings, tape,staples or combinations thereof. Some of the bonding materials wouldsecure the ends of the material while other bonding material may bindthe circumference of the wrapper. Another way to secure the wrapping isto heat seal the ends of the material to another portion of thematerial. One way to do this is to contact the ends with an iron ofsufficient heat to heat seal the material.

The term "bonding material" when used herein also means any heat orchemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or otherelectrical means, magnetic means, mechanical or barb type fasteningmeans or clamps, curl type characteristics of the film or materialsincorporated in the sheet of material which can cause the material totake on certain shapes, and any type of welding method which may weldportions of the sheet to itself or to the pot, or to both the sheetitself and the pot.

The term "botanical item" when used herein means a natural or artificialherbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination. The term"botanical item" also means any portion or portions of natural orartificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves, flowers,blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or in combination,or in groupings of such portions such as bouquet or floral grouping.

The term "propagule" when used herein means any structure capable ofbeing propagated or acting as an agent of reproduction including seeds,shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, roots or spores.

The term "growing medium" when used herein means any liquid, solid orgaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivation ofpropagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil,humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, and including the nutrients,fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required by the plantsor propagules for growth.

The term "band" when used herein means any material which may be securedabout an object such as a flower pot, such bands commonly being referredto as elastic bands, rubber bands or non-elastic bands and also includesany other type of material such as an elastic or non-elastic string orelastic piece of material, non-elastic piece of material, a round pieceof material, a flat piece of material, a ribbon, a piece of paper strip,a piece of plastic strip, a piece of wire, a tie wrap or a twist tie orcombinations thereof or any other device capable of gathering the sheetof material to removably or substantially permanently form a crimpedportion and secure the crimped portion formed in the sheet of materialwhich may be secured about an object such as the flower pot. The bandalso may include a bow if desired in a particular application.

The sheet of material used herein may further comprise at least onescent (not shown). Examples of scents utilized herein include (but arenot limited to) floral scents (flower blossoms, or any portion of aplant), food scents (chocolate, sugar, fruits), herb or spice scents(cinnamon), and the like. Additional examples of scents include flowers(such as roses, daisies, lilacs), plants (such as fruits, vegetables,grasses, trees), foods (for example, candies, cookies, cake), foodcondiments (such as honey, sugar, salt), herbs, spices, woods, roots,and the like, or any combination of the foregoing. Such scents are knownin the art, and are commercially available.

The scent may be disposed upon the sheet of material 10 by spraying thescent thereupon, painting the scent thereupon, brushing the scentthereupon, lacquering the scent thereupon, immersing the sheet ofmaterial in a scent-containing liquid, exposing the sheet of material toscent-containing gas, or any combination thereof.

The scent may be contained within a lacquer, or other liquid, before itis disposed upon the sheet of material 10. The scent may also becontained within a dye, ink, and/or pigment (not shown). Such dyes, inksand pigments are known in the art, and are commercially available, andmay be disposed upon or incorporated in the sheet of material 10 by anymethod described herein or known in the art.

Embodiments of FIGS. 26-28

In one version, the apparatus of the present invention comprises aplatform having an upper support surface formed thereon and at least oneopening extending through the upper support surface. The upper supportsurface is adapted to support at least one sheet of material in a coverforming position over the opening. The opening is sized to accommodate acover forming mold.

The apparatus further comprises a cover forming mold disposed below theopening in the support surface. The cover forming mold has contactingportions for contacting the sheet of material. The opening and the coverforming mold are adapted for receiving an article such as a flower pothaving an upper end, a lower end, an upper opening and an outerperipheral surface such that when the article is moved in a predetermined direction, such as downward, the lower end of the article iscaused to engage a portion of the sheet of material disposed over theopening. The article and portions of the sheet of material thus passinto the cover forming mold causing the sheet of material to engage theouter peripheral surface of the article and the contacting portions ofthe cover forming mold as the article is moved. As this happens,portions of the sheet contactingly engage or nearly engage the outerperipheral surface of the article forming a cover about the article andthereby forming a covered article. The cover of the covered article thenhas an inner surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the articleand an exposed outer surface adjacent the inner portion of the mold.

The apparatus further comprises a fastening device for automaticallyapplying a fastener about a portion of the outer surface of the coveredarticle. In an alternate version, the apparatus may comprise a labelingassembly for automatically applying a label to a portion of the outersurface of the cover of the covered article, preferably after the coverhas been fastened to the article.

The sheet of material used in accordance with the present invention isconstructed from a material selected from a group of materials describedin greater detail below. The apparatus may further comprise a securingassembly for releasably securing the sheet of material in the coverforming position on the upper support surface for generally immobilizingthe sheet prior to the forming step. The apparatus may further comprisea sheet feeder for automatically placing a sheet of material on thesupport surface and/or a pick and place assembly for picking up thearticle from an article supply and for placing the article into theopening to form the covered article. Additionally, the apparatus mayfurther comprise a removal assembly for automatically removing thecovered article from the opening of the platform.

Referring now to FIG. 26, a portion of a covering and fastening assemblydesigned in accordance with the present invention is generallydesignated by the reference numeral 170. The covering and fasteningassembly 170 is mounted upon a framework (not shown) which may be mobileor stationary. The assembly 170 comprises an upper platform 172 whichhas an upper support surface 174 and an opening 176.

A sheet of material (such as sheet 26 in FIG. 2) is manually placed uponthe upper support surface 174 generally over the opening 176 in theupper support surface 174. The sheet of material may be obtained from astack of sheets such as shown in FIG. 13, or may be obtained from asheet dispenser such as shown in FIGS. 10-12 and discussed above. In onealternate version of the invention, the sheet of material may beautomatically fed from a sheet feeding apparatus (not shown). Automaticsheet feeding devices are well known in the art. Examples of such sheetfeeding machines are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,887,805 issued to Herbertet al., 4,889,331 issued to Sardella, and 5,090,676 issued to Matsumo etal. An automatic sheet feeding machine, if used, is detachably connectedto the framework of the apparatus of the present invention.

In a preferred version of the invention, a cover former (not shown) isdetachably mounted in each opening 176. Examples of cover formerscontemplated in accordance with the present invention are disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,733,521 as discussed above, and are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

An article or potted plant or pot such as pot 140 may be delivered tothe apparatus manually or automatically. When the operation is manual, apot 140 or a potted plant such as the potted plant 156 is disposed abovethe sheet of material and is pushed downward into the opening 176,through the cover former disposed therein, forming the sheet of materialinto a cover 180 about the potted plant.

Alternatively, the potted plant 156 may be deposited into the coverforming position by a pick and place machine (not shown) which is anapparatus for grasping an article from a plurality of stored articles,delivering the article to the correct position above a sheet of materialand then automatically depositing the article into the opening 176, anddisengaging from the article once the article is deposited into theopening 176. Such pick and place machines are familiar to persons ofordinary skill in the art of object pickup and placement.

Once a pot 140 or potted plant 156 has had a cover 180 appliedthereabout, a fastening assembly 182 serves to apply a fastener 184about the cover 180 which has been applied about the pot 140 or pottedplant 156. Examples of fastening machines include tying machines such asthose commercially available from Saxmeyer, Bunn, Felins, and Cyclops.

The fastening machine 182 is mounted upon the mobile or stationaryframework.

In the embodiment represented in FIGS. 26-28, the fastening assembly 182is constructed to apply a fastener or band to the covered article or potin a plane beneath the upper support surface 174. The fastening assembly182 comprises a tie arm 186 having a tie end 188 and a pivot end 190, atie arm shaft 192, a knotter head 194, a rocker plate 196 and a verticalrod 198 mounted to a lower support assembly 200. A string, tie, wire, orother type of band or fastener 184 is drawn through the knotter head 194and engaged with the tie end 188 of the tie arm 186. The fastener 184 islooped outside of the vertical rod 198 as shown in FIG. 26 which servesas a fastener retraction assembly so that the stress of the fastener 184upon the cover 180 is relieved so as not to tear the cover 180. The tiearm 186 is rotated by the tie arm shaft 192 in a direction 202 when thetie arm shaft 192 is rotated is in a direction 204 by a drive motor (notshown) of the fastening assembly 182.

An optional labeling apparatus (not shown) is a separate unit which canbe mounted and removed from the main framework of the covering andfastening assembly 170. Such labeling devices are known by persons ofordinary skill in the label applying art and are commercially available.The label (not shown) is applied to the side of the cover 180 of thepotted plant 156 before or after the fastener 184 is applied about thecover 180. The label may be an adhesive label or may be applied as anink jet, or even by stamping. As the covered potted plant is recoveredfrom the opening 176 after the fastener 184 has been applied andknotted, the knotted fastener 184 slips off the vertical rod 198 andholds the cover 180 about the pot 140 or potted plant 156.

Embodiments of FIGS. 29-31

Referring now to FIGS. 29-31, an alternative covering and fasteningassembly is generally designated by the reference numeral 170a. Thefastening assembly 170a is exactly the same as the apparatus 170 exceptthat it is modified to apply the fastener 184a to the cover 180a in aplane above the upper support surface 174a. A tie arm 186a is supportedby a tie arm shaft 192a above the upper support surface 174a. Thefastener 184a is looped about a set of studs 206a-d which serve as afastener retraction assembly and which function to relieve the stress ofthe fastener 184a as it is applied about the cover 180a. The studs206a-d are reciprocatingly mounted in the upper support assembly 172a sothat the studs 206a-d can be retracted into the upper support assembly172a to allow the fastener 184a to grasp the cover 180a. The studs206a-d can be controlled electrically, pneumatically, hydraulically orby another power source.

Embodiments of FIGS. 32-33

Referring now to FIG. 32, a covering and fastening assembly isdesignated by the reference numeral 170b. The assembly 170b is exactlylike the assembly 170a of FIGS. 29-31 except that instead of using aplurality of studs 206a-d to function as a fastener retraction assembly,the assembly 170b uses a fastener retraction assembly 208 comprising afirst retraction unit 210 and a second retraction unit 212.

The first retraction unit 210 comprises a first grasping arm 214 havinga grasping end 216 for catching and holding a portion of the fastener184b. The second retraction unit 212 comprises a second grasping arm 218having a grasping end 220 for catching and holding a portion of thefastener 184b different from the portion of the fastener 184b held bythe first grasping arm 214. The first retraction unit 210 and the secondretraction unit 212 may be automatically controlled and may comprisepneumatically or hydraulically controlled pistons.

In operation, the first grasping arm 214 grasps a portion of thefastener 184b and the second grasping arm 218 grasps another portion ofthe fastener 184b. The first grasping arm 214 is retracted in direction222 and the second grasping arm 218 is retracted in direction 224 untilthe fastener 184b is retracted to a position as shown in FIG. 32 inwhich the fastener 184b is drawn away from the opening 176b in the uppersupport surface 174b whereby the opening 176b is available for anarticle or pot to be deposited therein. Once a pot or article has beendeposited into the opening to form a cover 180b substantially asdescribed above for the assembly 170a, the first retraction arm 214 andthe second retraction arm 218 are caused to release the fastener 184bwhereby the fastener 184b engages the circumference of the cover 180babout the pot or article and holds the cover 180b thereabout. Thecovered pot or article can the be removed from the fastening andcovering assembly 170b.

Embodiment of FIGS. 34-36

Referring now to FIG. 34, another version of the covering and fasteningassembly of the present invention is designated by the general referencenumeral 170c. The assembly 170c is exactly like assembly 170b of FIGS.32-33, except that instead of using a pair of retraction units 210 and212, as a fastener retraction assembly, a fastener retraction assembly230 is alternatively comprised of a U-shaped retraction arm 232 attachedto a cylinder 234. The retraction arm 232 comprises a first graspingprong 236 having a grasping end 238 and a second grasping prong 240having a second grasping end 242. The retraction arm 232 is attached toa rod 244 which is reciprocatingly disposed within the cylinder 234.

In operation, the rod 244 is advanced in direction 246 until thegrasping ends 238 and 242 catch the fastener 184c. Once the retractionarm 232 has grasped the fastener 184c, the rod 244 is reciprocatinglyretracted by the cylinder 234 in direction 248 until the fastener 184chas been retracted a distance sufficient to clear the opening 176c inthe upper support surface of the fastening and covering assembly 170c asshown in FIG. 35. The assembly 170c is at that point prepared to proceedin the operation of applying a cover to a pot or article disposed in theopening 176c. After the pot has been disposed into the opening 176c anda cover formed thereabout, the fastener 184c is released from thefastener retraction assembly 230.

Embodiment of FIG. 37

Referring now to FIG. 37, a covering and fastening assembly isdesignated by the general reference numeral 170d. The assembly 170d isexactly any of assemblies 170, 170a, 170b, or 170c except that the sheetof material is supplied from a roll of material substantially asdescribed above in the embodiment of FIG. 12.

Shown in FIG. 37 is a roll of material 250 resting on a shaft 252supported by a support assembly 254. A clutch assembly 256 which isdriven by a drive assembly (not seen) such as a motor advances a portionof the roll of material 250 under an idler roller 258 until the portionof the roll 250 is advanced a predetermined length. A knife edge 260which is connected to an actuator 262 serves to sever the portion of thesheet from the roll of material 250. The sheet is then ready to be usedto be formed as a cover about a flower pot.

In Operation

In operation, the present invention comprises providing a covering andfastening apparatus such as the one designated by the reference numeral170c in FIGS. 34-36. In the first operational step, a sheet of material10 is placed on the upper support surface 174c in a cover formingposition over the opening 176c. There placed, the sheet of material 10is positioned over the cover former (not shown) mounted within theopening 176c.

In the next step, the article, or in the preferred embodiment a pot 140containing a plant is removed from a storage position. The pot 140 ispositioned over the sheet of material 10. The potted plant is disposedgenerally above and near the portion of the sheet of material 10 whichis above the cover former mounted in the opening 176c. Then, the pot 140is moved in a direction through the cover former toward a lower supportassembly (not shown, but similar to the lower support assembly 200 shownin FIGS. 27-28) which causes the lower end of the pot 140 to engage aportion of the sheet of material 10. The pot 140 and portions of thesheet of material 10 pass through the cover former causing the sheet ofmaterial 10 to contact or nearly contact both the outer peripheralsurface 144 of the pot 140 and the contacting portions of the innerperimeter of the cover former. The sheet 10 is thereby pressed about theouter peripheral surface 144 of the pot 140 thereby forming a cover 148about the pot 140 and retaining the covered pot 140 in the opening 176c.The pot 140 is advanced through the cover former opening until the lowerend 142 of the pot 140 rests on or nearly rests on the lower supportassembly similar to lower support assembly 200 (FIGS. 27 and 28). A bandor fastener 184c is automatically applied about a portion of the outersurface 150 of the cover 148 of the covered potted plant 158 by thefastening apparatus whereby the cover 148 is fasteningly secured aboutthe pot 140. In the next step, the covered potted plant 158 is removed.

The method may comprise the optional step of manually arranging portionsof the cover 148 and the exposed portions of the plant so that the cover148 and potted plant are attractively and optimally arranged prior tothe fastening step.

The method may also comprise the additional step of engaging anautomatic labeling device (not shown) wherein a label (not shown) isautomatically applied to a portion of the outer surface 150 of the cover148 of the pot 140. The label may be applied to the outer peripheralsurface 150 of the cover 148 or the label may be applied to the bottom(not shown) of the cover 148 through an opening in the lower supportassembly 200.

Embodiments of FIGS. 38-40

Referring now to FIGS. 38-40, another version of the present inventionis designated by the general reference numeral 170e. The fasteningassembly 170e is exactly the same as the assembly 170a in FIGS. 29-31except in the construction of the mechanism for retracting and releasingthe fastener. The fastening assembly 170e comprises an upper supportassembly 172e having an upper support surface 174e which has an opening176e. A pot 178e having a cover 180e is shown in the opening 176e. Afastener 184e is looped about a first retraction pin 270 and a secondretraction pin 272. Pin 270 is stationarily mounted upon the uppersupport surface 174e. Similarly, pin 272 is stationarily mounted uponthe upper support surface 174e. The pot 178e is supported by a pot basecup 274 which is supported on a base plate 276. Base plate 276 ismounted on a reciprocating piston 278 which can be manually orautomatically caused to urge the base plate 276 and plot base cup 274 inan upward direction 280 or a downward direction 282.

The fastener assembly 170e further comprises a pin stripping assembly286. The function of the pin stripping assembly 286 is to strip thefastener 184e from the pins 270 and 272 after the fastener 184e has beentied to allow the tied fastener 184e to engage and bind the cover 180eabout the pot 178e. The pin stripping assembly 286 comprises a firststripper 288 and a second stripper 290. The first stripper 288 stripsthe fastener 184e from the first pin 270. The second stripper 290 stripsthe fastener 184e from the second pin 272. Each stripper 288 and 290 isdisposed about the pins 270 and 272, respectively, in such a manner thatthe stripper is able to reciprocatingly slide up and down the pin. Eachpin 270 and 272 has a stop. One such stop is shown in FIGS. 39 and 40and is designated by the reference numeral 292. The stop 292 functionsto prevent the stripper 288 from sliding too far down the pin 270. Thestop 292, if present, may be adjustable. Each stripper 288 and 290 hasan arm 294 and 296, respectively.

The pin stripping assembly 286 further comprises a support frame 298which is connected to the base plate 276 via a support arm 300.Connected to the upper end of the support frame 298 is a first stripperlifting post 304 which has an upper end 306 and a second stripperlifting post 308, also which has an upper end (not shown).

The stripper assembly 286 further comprises a first pot restraint 310connected to the support frame 298 and a second pot restraint 312 alsoconnected to the frame 298. The pot restraints 310 and 312 function toprevent the pot 178e from leaning in the direction of the fastener pins270 and 272 when tension is applied by the fastener 184e to the side ofthe pot 178e which is opposite the pins 270 and 272.

In operation, the stripper assembly 286 is activated when the base plate276 is urged upwardly in direction 280. The base plate 276 is lifted bythe piston 278 a predetermined distance 314. At this point, the upperend of the pot 178e has been "ejected" or elevated to a position atleast partially beyond the opening 176e in the support surface 174e inorder to facilitate removal of the covered pot from the coveringassembly.

FIG. 39 shows the pot orientation before the base plate 276 is liftedand FIG. 40 shows the pot orientation after the base plate 276 is lifteda distance 314 in direction 280. During the process of lifting the baseplate 276 to eject the covered pot 178e, each stripper lifting post 304and 306 is elevated and each engages, respectively, the arms 294 and 296of strippers 288 and 290. When, for example, stripper lifting post 304is elevated, the upper end 306 engages arm 294 of stripper 288, causingthe stripper 288 to be slidingly elevated upwardly along the pin 270 andcausing the fastener 184e to be released from the pin 270. The action isrepeated for the portion of the fastener 184e which is engaged by pin272. The fastener assembly 286 can then be moved downwardly in direction292 in preparation of repeating the process.

It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that each ofthe covering and fastening assemblies discussed herein above may beoutfitted with means for enabling the apparatus to be mobile, forexample, with wheels or casters. It will also be understood that each ofthe covering and fastening assemblies may be used with a labelingapparatus for applying a label to the covered pot. Each covering andfastening system may also be used in conjunction with an automatic sheetfeeding apparatus.

Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of the variouscomponents, elements and assemblies described herein or in the steps orthe sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for fastening a cover about a flower pothaving an open upper end, a lower end and an outer peripheral surfacesuch that the open upper end of the flower pot remains substantiallyuncovered by the cover, comprising:providing a platform having a supportsurface formed thereon and an opening extending through the supportsurface, the opening sized such that the flower pot can be disposedthrough the opening; placing a sheet of material in a cover formingposition on the support surface of the platform such that a portion ofthe sheet of material is disposed over the opening; moving the flowerpot via the lower end thereof into engagement with the sheet of materialand continuing movement of the flower pot and sheet of material throughthe opening in the platform whereby the sheet of material is pressedabout the outer peripheral surface of the flower pot to form a coverabout the flower pot while the open upper end of the flower pot remainssubstantially uncovered by the cover; automatically applying a fastenerabout a portion of the cover extending above the open upper end of theflower pot for fastening the cover about the flower pot such that asubstantial portion of the open upper end of the flower pot remainsuncovered; and removing the covered flower pot from the opening in theplatform.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein, in the step of placing thesheet of material in a cover forming position on the support surface ofthe platform, the sheet of material is constructed of a materialselected from the group consisting of paper, metal foil, cloth, denim,burlap, polymer film and combinations thereof.
 3. The method of claim 1wherein, in the step of automatically applying a fastener about aportion of the cover extending above the open upper end of the flowerpot, the fastener is selected from a group consisting of ties, elasticbands, ribbons, tape, and combinations thereof.
 4. The method of claim 1comprising the additional step of automatically applying a label to aportion of the outer surface of the cover of the article.
 5. The methodof claim 1 wherein the fastener is supported on the platform so as to bedisposed substantially adjacent the opening in the platform and whereinthe method for fastening a cover about a flower pot further comprisesthe additional step of retracting the fastener while the flower pot andthe sheet of material are moved into the opening in the platform to formthe cover extending about the flower pot.
 6. The method of claim 1further comprising elevating the flower pot to a position at leastpartially above the platform after the cover has been fastened about theflower pot for facilitating removal of the covered flower pot from theopening in the platform.